UCC Launches New Transport Management Hackathon

A journey into the very thickness of Kampala’s transportation landscape. (Photo Courtesy)

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) in partnership with Makerere University School of Public Health – Resilient Africa Network has announced the launch of a new hackathon aimed at reducing road accidents in the country.

Named Smart Transport Management Hackathon, the 48-hour contest will run from May 24th to May 25th at the Kampala Serena Hotel.

It will majorly seek for ideas on how to better manage traffic flow; with the increasing number of private cars in Uganda while most of the roads remain narrow.

It also seeks to explore health and safety assurance of road users including drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

“In Uganda, like any other developing countries in Africa, the poor state of transport infrastructure is a looming problem which often leads to accidents and high costs of doing business,” UCC wrote in a statement released on Wednesday.

A 2014 Uganda Police incident report on injury and fatality trends indicates that the number of fatalities on Ugandan roads as a result of road accidents was at 5,145.

The hackathon seeks to help and empower innovators with startups that aim at curbing fatalities on roads as well as create a better transport management platform.

It is also part of the ongoing ACIA Awards competition that fosters innovation through recognition and reward of outstanding ICT innovators in the country.

The hackathon is open to all interested applicants including students, fresh graduates, young entrepreneurs, public health specialists, software engineers, among others.

From the applications, not more than 35 participants shall be selected and/or not more than 7 teams.